Yi Xue Lan Shang (易學濫觴)

（臣）等謹案：《易學濫觴》一卷，元黃澤撰。澤字楚望，資州人，家於九江。大德中嘗為景星書院山長，又為東湖書院山長，年逾八十乃終。故趙汸生於元末，猶及師事之，其《易》與春秋之學皆受之於澤者也。澤垂老之時，欲注《易》、《春秋》二經，恐不能就，故作此書及《春秋指要》發其大凡。卷首有延佑七年吳澄題詞。據其所言，二書葢合為一帙。今《春秋指要》亦無傳本，惟此書僅存。朱彝尊《經義考》載此書，注曰：「已佚」，則彝尊亦未及見，知為稀覯之本矣。

We have carefully examined: The book "The Wellspring of Changes Studies" is a single volume written by Huang Ze of the Yuan dynasty. Huang Ze, whose courtesy name was Chuwang, was from Zizhou in Sichuan province, and later settled in Jiushe, Jiangzhou. During the Dade period of Emperor Chengzong of Yuan, he once served as the headmaster of Jingxing Academy, and later also served as the headmaster of Donghu Academy, and died in his eighties. Therefore, Zhao Peng, who lived in the late Yuan dynasty, was still able to study under him. Zhao Peng's proficiency in the studies of the "Zhou Changes" and the "Spring and Autumn Annals" were both inherited from Huang Ze. When Huang Ze grew old, he originally intended to write commentaries on the two classic texts, the "Zhou Changes" and the "Spring and Autumn Annals," but he feared he would not live long enough to complete them. Therefore, he first wrote this book and another called "Spring and Autumn Essentials," revealing the main ideas and outlines of the commentaries on the two classics. The beginning of this book has a preface written by Wu Cheng in the seventh year of Yuan Renzong's Yanyou period. According to Wu Cheng's account, "The Wellspring of Changes Studies" and "Spring and Autumn Essentials" were originally bound together as a single volume. Now, "Spring and Autumn Essentials" has no surviving copies, and only this book remains. Qing dynasty scholar Zhu Yizun mentioned this book in his "Examination of Classic Interpretations," noting "has been lost," indicating that even Zhu Yizun had not seen it himself, showing that it is an extremely rare and precious manuscript.

其說《易》以明象為本，其明象則以《序卦》為本，其占法則以《左傳》為主。大旨謂王弼之廢象數，遁於元虛；漢儒之用象數，亦失於繁碎。故折中以酌其平。其中歴陳《易》學不能復古者，一曰：“《易》之名義”，一曰：“重卦之義”，一曰：“逆順之義”，一曰：“卦名之義”，一曰：“卦變之義”，一曰：“卦名”，一曰：“《易》數之原”，一曰：“《易》之詞義”，一曰：“《易》之占詞”，一曰：“蓍法”，一曰：“占法”，一曰：“序卦”，一曰：“脫誤疑字”，凡十三事。持論皆有根據。雖未能勒為全書，而發明古義，體例分明，已括全書之宗要。因其說而推演之，亦足為說《易》之圭臬矣。

Huang Ze explained the Zhou Changes by taking the "image" of the hexagrams and lines as the fundamental point. In order to clarify the images, he took the "Sequence of Hexagrams" as the basis. As for the method of divination, he mainly relied on the examples of divination recorded in the Zuo Zhuan. His main idea was that Wang Bi abandoned the study of images and numbers, leading him into the realm of abstract and obscure philosophy; although Han dynasty scholars used images and numbers, they were too fragmented and superficial. Therefore, Huang Ze took a middle path between the two, and carefully balanced a moderate approach. In his book, he listed one by one the places where later scholars failed to restore the ancient methods of the Zhou Changes. These were: first, the meaning and interpretation of the name "Yi"; second, the principle of composing the hexagrams; third, the principle of reverse and forward counting; fourth, the meaning of the names of the hexagrams; fifth, the method of changing hexagrams; sixth, the origin of the names of the hexagrams; seventh, the origin of the numbers in the Zhou Changes; eighth, the meaning of the verses; ninth, the divinatory verses; tenth, the method of divining with yarrow stalks; eleventh, the method of making judgments; twelfth, the "Sequence of Hexagrams"; thirteenth, the difficult characters due to textual errors and omissions. In total, there were thirteen points. All his arguments were based on solid grounds. Although this book did not become a complete work, it revealed the original meaning of the ancients and had a clear structure. It already included the main ideas and principles of the entire book. Following his reasoning and further developing it, it is sufficient to serve as a standard for interpreting the Zhou Changes.

乾隆四十六年十月恭校上

In the fourth十六th year of Qianlong's reign, in the tenth month, we respectfully completed the collation and presented it to the Emperor for his imperial review.

楚望夫子之注經，其志可謂善矣。《易》欲眀象，《春秋》欲明書法，蓋將前無古、後無今，特出其所得之大概示人，而全注未易成也。每以家貧年邁，弗果速成其注為，嗟世亦有仁義之人，能俾遂其志者乎？予所不能必也。道之行與，命也！愛莫助之，永嘆而巳。延佑第七立秋之後四日，臨川吳澄書於《易學濫觴》、《春秋指要》之卷端。

Master Chu Wang, Huang Ze, gave commentaries on the classics, and his aspirations can be said to be commendable. In interpreting the Zhou Changes, he aimed to clarify the images of the hexagrams and their lines; in interpreting the Spring and Autumn Annals, he aimed to clarify the principles of the author's editorial practices. His grandeur of vision was such that it was something previous generations had never spoken of, and later ones would find it difficult to express again. Now he has only made his rough insights available to the world, but completing the full commentaries on both texts is truly difficult. He often lamented that due to his poor family circumstances and advancing age, he could not complete his writings in time. Alas, is there truly a person who upholds benevolence and righteousness, willing to exert effort to help him fulfill this wish? I cannot be certain. Whether the great way can prevail in the world is a matter of heaven's mandate. Although I feel deeply for him, I cannot offer any help, and can only sigh in sorrow. Written on the fourth day after the autumn equinox in the seventh year of Yanyou, by Wu Cheng, a man from Linchuan, at the beginning of the books "The Wellspring of Changes Studies" and "Essentials of the Spring and Autumn Annals."

說《周易》者，自漢諸儒至虞翻，是欲明象，去聖已逺，象學不易明，遂流於煩瑣，或渉支離誕漫，學者亦已厭之。故王輔嗣岀，而創為忘象之論，盡棄諸儒之說，其文高潔，足以動人。自是以來，學者宗其說，與象相忘矣。至伊川先生又據《易》以明理，理明而象數稍逺。其後說《周易》者，皆務明經，多不專守師說，晦庵之於程、張，蔡節齋之於晦庵，徐幾、劉彌劭之於節齋，皆時有異同，各出新意，比之漢魏諸儒各主一師、黨同伐異者，大不侔矣。

Interpreters of the Zhou Changes have, from the Han dynasty scholars down to Yu Fan of the Three Kingdoms period, all aimed to explain the "images" of the hexagrams and lines. However, because the time since the sages composed the Zhou Changes was too distant, the study of images became difficult to explain, leading to increasingly complicated interpretations, some even becoming fragmented and absurd, with no clear boundaries. Scholars had already grown tired of this. Therefore, Wang Bi (styled Fusi) emerged and proposed the idea of "forgetting the images," completely discarding the views of the Han dynasty scholars. His writing was concise and elegant, and thus very persuasive. From then on, scholars all followed his approach, completely neglecting the images. Later, Cheng Yi (known as Master Yichuan) again used the Zhou Changes to explain principles. When the principles were clarified, the images and numbers became even more distant. After that, interpreters of the Zhou Changes focused on explaining the meaning of the text, and most no longer rigidly followed a single school of thought. Zhu Xi interpreted Cheng Yi and Zhang Zai, Cai Yuan (styled Jiezhai) interpreted Zhu Xi, Xu Ji and Liu Mi Shao interpreted Cai Yuan, and they often had different opinions, each proposing new interpretations. This was quite different from the风气 of the Han and Wei scholars who all followed one master and excluded others.

象學之廢，自周末至今，千有七百年。伊川雖主於理，晦庵雖主於占，然世之學《易》者，皆知《易》當明象，故雖精粹如朱程學者，終未免各悉其心志。自茲以往，象學焉知其不可復歟！

The neglect of the study of images (xiang) in the Book of Changes has lasted from the end of the Zhou dynasty up to the present day, a span of more than seventeen hundred years. Although Cheng Yi's interpretation of the Book of Changes focused mainly on its principles and meanings, and Zhu Xi's interpretation focused mainly on divination, those who study the Book of Changes today still understand that the original intent of the Book of Changes was to clarify the images and lines of the hexagrams. Therefore, even scholars as refined as Cheng and Zhu could not avoid devoting their efforts to this aspect. How can we then be certain that the study of images will not be revived again in the future!

澤年十七始，熟復《繫辭》，既又讀《左傳》，疑於艮之八及諸占法，蓋探索之勞積四十餘年，至今猶未有釋然者，然無所不盡其思矣。大徳三年，於《易》象始有所悟，又積十數年，大槩得其五六，由是始具藁。又積十年，乃稍得其節目。

I have been studying the Great Treatise repeatedly since I was seventeen, and then I read the Zuo Zhuan. From the divination examples such as "Gèn zhī bā" and various methods of divination, I began to have doubts. I have been persistently exploring these issues for more than forty years, and even today there are still things I cannot resolve. However, all the possible approaches I can think of have already been considered. In the third year of Da De during the Yuan Chengzong reign, I began to have some understanding of the images of the Yi Jing. After another decade of accumulation, I roughly grasped about five or six tenths of it, and then I started drafting my notes. It took another ten years before I could slightly clarify the details and categories within them.

然所悟深者，大抵不入藁而存諸心。方其勞心苦志也，若神明晝夜役使之者。及其悟也，則如天開其愚、神啟其秘。凡西漢以來至近代諸儒，鑚研而不可得者，始有芽櫱之漸。若更益以十年之功，則十可得其七八，雖未必盡能全復舊物，然比之王輔嗣創為忘象之髙談以絶後人之用心者，其得失相去逺矣。

However, those who understood most deeply generally did not write them down, but kept them in their hearts. When they put their minds to it earnestly, it was as if a divine being were driving them day and night; when they suddenly gained insight, it was as if heaven had opened their ignorance and spirits had revealed the hidden truths. All the places that many scholars from the Western Han dynasty down to modern times had failed to grasp through their studies have now begun to sprout and grow. If I were to add another ten years of effort, I would probably achieve about seven or eight parts out of ten. Although I might not be able to fully restore the ancient methods, the difference between this and Wang Bi's lofty talk about 'forgetting the image' which blocked later generations' thoughts is vast.

夫小有所得而言，則失之淺；未有所得而言，則失之妄；有所得而畧不言，則失之隱；急而言之，則失之躁；易而言之，則失之玩；決意而以身任之，則失之不讓；能苦思而不能為聖經發揚，則亦失之不忠；可與言而不言，則又失之闇；著書二十年而殊無知者，則亦失之沈晦。凡此類者，當斟酌而處之。

If one has a slight understanding and is eager to speak out, the problem is superficiality; if one has no real understanding yet speaks, the problem is recklessness; if one truly has understanding but says nothing, the problem is concealment; if one speaks hastily, the problem is restlessness; if one speaks carelessly, the problem is disrespect; if one insists on his own way and takes on this study personally, the problem is lack of humility; if one can think deeply but cannot promote the classics of the sages, the problem is disloyalty; if one meets someone who can be discussed with but does not talk, the problem is dullness; if one writes for twenty years yet no one knows, the problem is being too obscure. All these matters of balance must be carefully considered before deciding what to do.

此澤之所以難乎？其為人也，且素無聲譽，而自負獨重，則人亦不復相即。若混俗無別，則人又褻而視之。斯末俗之弊，所以使人日就衰老，而此心未得暴白於世者，此非獨澤孱懦無力量之過，亦世之好古者希故爾。夫汲汲焉求知於世者，非也；窮居陋巷，而愛惜所學、深懼人知者，亦非也。蓋古之君子盡其在已，而聽其在天，故復為此卷，以為二注先容焉。

This is precisely the difficulty I face in being a person. Moreover, I have never had a good reputation; I am proud yet very particular, so people do not come close to me. If I follow the crowd and blend in with ordinary people without distinction, others will look down upon me. This is the problem of the declining age, causing people to grow old day by day, while my sincere intentions have never been expressed to the world. This is not only my own fault of cowardice and weakness, but also because there are too few people in the world who appreciate ancient learning. It is wrong to urgently seek recognition everywhere; equally wrong is to live in poverty and seclusion, valuing one's learning highly and fearing that others might know about it. In ancient times, the gentlemen did their best in their own duties, and whether they succeeded or not was left to heaven. Therefore, I have written this volume to first introduce the commentaries on the Zhou Yi and the Spring and Autumn Annals.

學《易》者，當明象，此確然不易之論。但象不可明，故忘象之說興；忘象之說興，而象學遂廢，亦可嘆已。夫忘象，非王氏得已之言也。王氏不得已而言之，諸儒亦不得已而從之。使象學若可明，則諸家何苦不從，而乃從此不得已之論乎？

Those who study the Book of Changes should clarify the images of the hexagrams and their lines, which is an indisputable conclusion. It is only because the images are difficult to explain that the idea of 'forgetting the images' arose. Once the idea of 'forgetting the images' became popular, the study of images declined, which is truly regrettable. One should understand that 'forgetting the images' was not something Wang Bi willingly said; he was forced to say it, and the other scholars followed him out of necessity. If the study of images could have been clearly explained, why would scholars not study the images and instead follow this forced statement?

然自王氏以來，凡學者皆疑於乾馬、坤牛之象。雷、風、山、澤、日、月之象，大而易見；而馬、牛之象，小而難知。故學者皆深契於王氏之言，而不知《易》之為象，其說不一。凡《易》之寓象，未有《序卦》之大而要切者。世人於此，皆不深究，何乃獨病於乾馬、坤牛之傅會，快心而棄擲之哉？

However, since Wang Bi, all those who study the Book of Changes have doubted the images such as "Qian represents a horse" and "Kun represents an ox." The images of thunder, wind, mountain, marsh, sun, and moon are large in scale and easy to observe, while the images of horse and ox are small and hard to understand. Therefore, scholars all deeply adhere to Wang Bi's statement, but they do not realize that the images used in the Book of Changes are not limited to one kind. Among all the images contained in the Book of Changes, none are more grand and essential than those shown in the "Sequence of Changes" transmission. Yet people do not wish to explore this deeply. Why do they specifically pick out the forced interpretations of "Qian as a horse" and "Kun as an ox" to criticize, and readily discard the entire system of imagery altogether?

夫所謂《序卦》之象最大者，謂乾坤定位而物始生物，生必蒙，蒙則當教，教則必養，不得其養則爭。此《易》必首乾坤，乾坤之後，次以屯、蒙、需、訟者，為此也。自此以徃，皆以夫子《序卦》之辭觀之，則可見：上經是開闢以來經制之象，下經是人道之首，正家以及天下之象；上經是因天地以寓人事，下經是因人事以明天地之道。

The imagery in the "Sequence of Hexagrams" is the most comprehensive. It says: The hexagrams Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth) establish the positions of Heaven and Earth, and thus all things begin to grow (Zun). When things first arise, they are naturally ignorant (Meng); when they are ignorant, they need to be educated; once they are educated, they must be nurtured (Xu); if they are not nurtured, they will quarrel (Song). This is why the "Zhou Changes" must begin with Qian and Kun, followed in order by Zun, Meng, Xu, and Song. From here on, if we examine the words of Confucius' "Sequence of Hexagrams," we can see that the Upper Canon describes the imagery of the establishment of institutions since the creation of the world, while the Lower Canon describes the beginning of human relationships, starting from governing a family and extending to governing the state. The Upper Canon uses Heaven and Earth to symbolize human affairs, while the Lower Canon uses human affairs to explain the principles of Heaven and Earth.

所以必分上、下經者，上經以象先天；下經以象後天。上經始乾、坤而終坎、離者，祖先天之意也；下經始咸、恆而終於既、未濟者，《周易》序六子之意也。自屯、蒙而同人、大有，凡十二卦，而後六子備。所以然者，天地定而日月行，聖人興而大化著，至此而後，裁成輔相之功稍著故也。

The reason for dividing the Classic into upper and lower parts is that the upper part symbolizes "before heaven" and the lower part symbolizes "after heaven." The upper part begins with Qian and Kun and ends with Kan and Li, reflecting the positions of the primordial hexagrams. The lower part begins with Xian and Heng and ends with Ji Ji and Wei Ji, following the arrangement of the six sons, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui, in the Zhou Changes. Counting from屯 (Zun) and Meng up to Tong Ren and Da You, there are twelve hexagrams, completing the image of the six sons. This arrangement is because after the heavens and earth are established, the sun and moon then move; after the sage arises, great teachings become evident. At this point, the work of shaping the way of heaven and earth and assisting in their proper order begins to show.

同人、大有是開闢以來最盛，所以離體居後者，蓋以其能成天地最盛之功，使光輝昭著、品類繁盛，有目者其覩，故離體居後也。乾四徳而亨，居夏，長養萬物，亦此義雲。以其當最盛之世，故大有繼以謙。聖人於此寓意深矣！然此亦姑舉其要，以見大意，其詳亦莫能盡觀者。於此引而伸之，則於學《易》，豈小補乎？

The hexagrams Tongren and Dayou symbolize the most flourishing situation since the creation of heaven and earth. Therefore, the hexagram Li is placed after them because Li can achieve the most flourishing achievements in the world, bringing brilliance and prosperity to all things, visible to everyone with eyes. Hence, the hexagram Li is arranged after them. The virtue "Heng" (prosperity) among the four virtues of Qian hexagram—Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen—corresponds to the summer season, nurturing all things, which is exactly this meaning. Because we are in the most flourishing era, after Deyou comes the hexagram Qian, symbolizing the need for humility when things reach their peak. The intention of the sage here is profound! However, this is only a brief outline to give a general idea; the detailed aspects cannot be fully grasped by anyone. From here, one can extend the understanding, and is this not a small benefit for studying the Book of Changes?

夫乾馬、坤牛，學者以為難知，而不知此於象學所繫尚小。又乾馬、坤牛尚可知，唯離為牛，則最難知。《左傳》曰：純離為牛。此已不可曉，而離卦辭曰：“畜牝牛，吉”，尤不可曉矣。若益以《說卦》坤為子、母牛，又可強通乎哉？澤於此，用心雖頗極，其精微，然猶不能無惑，故述於後學。

"The乾 trigram represents a horse, and the坤 trigram represents a cow. Scholars find this difficult to understand, but they do not realize that this is still a minor issue within the entire system of divination. Moreover, the association of乾 with a horse and坤 with a cow can still be explained, but the statement that the离 trigram represents a cow is the most difficult to interpret. The Zuo Zhuan says 'pure离 represents a cow,' which is already perplexing; and the Hexagram Statement of the离 trigram says 'raising a female cow is auspicious,' which adds to the confusion. If we also consider the Shuo Gua Zhuan which says that坤 represents a mother cow, can we still勉强 make sense of it? I have given this matter my utmost attention and have examined it thoroughly, yet I still have doubts. Therefore, I have recorded this for future scholars to consider."

《易》者，先其大而後其小，且知其難之，蓋有所在而不專在彼焉。上經首乾、坤，次以屯、蒙等卦，是從不易處說起。及終於坎、離，亦是不易。下經首咸、恆，是從變易處說起，至既、未濟，亦是變易。變易之中有不易者在，不易之中有變易者在。

The approach to studying the Book of Changes is to first grasp the general principles and then attend to the details. One must also understand that the true difficulties lie in specific areas, not merely in small details such as "Fire represents an ox." The Upper Canon begins with the trigrams Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth), followed by Tun (Obstruction) and Meng (Youth), discussing the aspect of "unchanging" (the constant and unalterable). It continues until the end with the trigrams Kan (Water) and Li (Fire), which still deal with the unchanging. The Lower Canon begins with Xian (Mutual Influence) and Heng (Permanence), discussing the aspect of "change." It concludes with Ji Ji (Completion) and Wei Ji (Incompleteness), which still deal with change. Within change there is an unchanging element, and within the unchanging there is also an element of change.

天道主於變，人道主於常。天道變中有常，人道常中有變。天道變而不可違乎常，人道常而不可不知變。所謂“天道主於變”者，如月令雷乃發聲，卻亦或先或後，又有非時之雷；如治日少而亂日多，盛衰興廢常出於意料之外；又如孔子不得位，顏子不幸短命；泰伯之賢不能得國，而有文王、武王之事；仲子非嫡也，而子孫有魯國，三桓由之而盛。此皆所謂變也。

Heavenly ways are characterized by change, while human ways are characterized by constancy. Within the changes of heavenly ways, there are inherent constants, and within the constancy of human ways, there are also changes. Although heavenly ways change, they cannot violate their constants; although human ways are constant, they should not be ignorant of adapting to circumstances. The saying "heavenly ways are based on change" can be illustrated by examples from the "Book of Rites · Monthly Ordinances," which states that in the second month of spring, thunder begins to sound. In reality, however, thunder may come earlier or later, and often occurs out of season. Another example is that times of peace are rare, while times of turmoil are frequent, and the rise and fall of dynasties often come as surprises. Also, Confucius spent his whole life without attaining a position as a ruler, and Yan Hui died young in misfortune. Tai Bo, who was so virtuous, did not receive a kingdom, but later King Wen and King Wu of Zhou established the Zhou dynasty. The descendants of Zhongzi, the secondary wife of Lu Hui Gong, who was not the principal wife, came to rule Lu, and the "Three Houses" of Ji Sun, Su Sun, and Meng Sun became powerful because of this. These are all examples of change.

人道，則君臣、父子、兄弟、夫婦、朋友有一定之倫，上下、貴賤有一定之分，居處、飲食、耕田、鑿井有一定之法，其應事接物必隨時制宜，雖是變，然大抵終不可踰越常理。此所謂“人道主於常”也。

As for human relationships, there are definite orders among ruler and subject, father and son, siblings, husband and wife, and friends; there are also fixed distinctions between superiors and inferiors, the noble and the humble; and there are established rules for dwelling, eating, farming, and digging wells. Although people must adapt to circumstances and respond to external things, this is considered change. However, in the main, they cannot go beyond the constant principles. This is what is meant by 'human conduct follows the constant.'

《周易》卦下辭六十四，孔子釋卦辭六十四；又大象六十四，為一百九十二爻，辭三百八十四，孔子釋之，是為小象，亦三百八十四。總此五者，為九百六十，益以用九、用六及乾、坤《文言》及《繫辭》所陳十一卦、九卦與其解頥之義，又《說卦》、《序卦》、《雜卦》及《春秋》內外傳所記筮占之法，凡千有餘事。

The Zhou Changes have a hexagram statement beneath each hexagram, totaling sixty-four; Confucius' commentary on the hexagram statements, the Commentary on the Judgment, is also sixty-four; there is also the Great Image Commentary, sixty-four in total. These three together make up one hundred and ninety-two statements. The sixty-four hexagrams contain three hundred and eighty-four lines, each with a line statement, totaling three hundred and eighty-four. Confucius explained these, forming the Small Image Commentary, also three hundred and eighty-four in number. Adding these five together, there are nine hundred and sixty statements. Furthermore, adding the 'Use of Nine' in the Qian hexagram, the 'Use of Six' in the Kun hexagram, the Wenyan Commentary on Qian and Kun, the eleven hexagrams, nine hexagrams and their explanatory meanings mentioned in the Great Treatise, as well as the Sayings of the Hexagrams, the Order of the Hexagrams, and the Miscellaneous Hexagrams, and the divination methods recorded in the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu, the total exceeds one thousand statements.

自漢魏諸儒以至近代邵康節、程先生、張橫渠、朱晦庵，各以所見發明，亦已得其大畧。義理之說，最為詳備，惟象學則猶未復古焉。其間固有易知者，亦有雖難知而先儒所說已暗合，但其大體既未能明，則雖總謂之未能復古，亦非過也。

From the Han and Wei dynasties through to modern times, scholars such as Shao Yong (known as Kangjie), Cheng Yi, Zhang Zai (known as Hengqu Master), and Zhu Xi each explained the text according to their own understanding, and have already achieved a general grasp. The part concerning principles and reasoning is most detailed and complete, but the study of images (xiangxue) has not yet restored the ancient methods. Among these, there are indeed parts that are easy to understand, and also parts that are difficult to grasp yet precisely align with the ancient meanings as expressed by earlier scholars. However, since the overall meaning remains unclear, it is not an overstatement to say that the study of images has not yet returned to the ancient ways.

惟大象示人以用《易》之道最為易曉，然歴觀舊注，猶有數處未合，況其它乎？即如需卦之“君子以飲食宴樂”可謂易知矣，所說終未盡。蓋水在天上，卻與“飲食宴樂”又何相關？若不從乾、坤、屯、蒙解來，實解不去。

Only the Great Image Commentary explains how to use the Book of Changes, and it is the easiest to understand. However, even after reviewing old commentaries, there are still several places where they do not fully explain the meaning, let alone other parts. Take for example the Great Image of the Need hexagram, which says "the gentleman uses food, drink, and entertainment." This seems easy to understand, yet previous scholars never fully explained it. The Need hexagram consists of Kan above and Qian below, representing water above heaven, which has little apparent connection to "food, drink, and entertainment." Without following the sequence of hexagrams from Qian, Kun, Zun, and Meng as explained in the Sequence of Hexagrams, the meaning remains unclear.

大抵天地開闢以來，水生物之功為大，《洪範》水數一者，亦以其物之始故也。水本在地，今在天為雲少需，然後為雨及。既為雨，滋潤百榖、草木，而後動物得所養。凡飲食，未有不出於水泉及百榖、草木者，以其生物有漸，雖非朝夕之故，然亦朝夕可待，所以謂之需，乾坤賴此以養人。故聖人取其象，以“飲食宴樂”如此解，而後胷次釋然。此《序卦》之說所以不可易也。

In general, since the creation of heaven and earth, water has played the greatest role in nurturing all things. The Book of Documents, Hongfan, ranks water first among the Five Phases, precisely because it is the beginning of all things. Water originally resides on the earth, but now it rises to the sky as clouds, and must wait a while before it becomes rain and falls down. Once it has become rain, it nourishes all grains and plants, and animals are then able to be sustained. All human food comes from spring water and grains and plants; because it nurtures all things step by step, though not in a single day or moment, it is something that can be expected day by day. Therefore it is called "Xu" (waiting), and heaven and earth rely on this to sustain human beings. Hence, the sage took this symbol and interpreted the Great Image as "food, drink, feasting, and joy." With this explanation, the mind becomes clear. This is why the sequence of hexagrams as explained in the Xugua Zhuan cannot be changed.

六十四卦大象本顯然，需之象又自明白，說者尚不能透徹，況其它乎？其大象如“君子以治厯明時”、“君子以永終知敝”，則又非造次可議。屯物始生，蒙是養，所以需是飲食之道。雨自上降，然後生萬物；草木之味，實能養人；醴醪、酒漿、籩豆、俎實，皆出於此。此需所以為飲食。

The sixty-four hexagrams' "Great Images" are originally quite clear, and the image of the hexagram Need (需) is especially evident. Even those who explain it cannot fully grasp its meaning, let alone other hexagrams. As for cases like the Great Image of the hexagram Revolution (革), "The gentleman thus regulates calendars and clarifies the seasons," and the Great Image of the hexagram Return of the Maiden (归妹), "The gentleman thus maintains continuity and understands decline," these are even more difficult to discuss hastily.屯 represents the beginning of all things, 蒙 represents nurturing, so the following hexagram Need relates to the way of food and drink. Rain falls from above, then gives rise to all things; the flavor of grass and trees is indeed nourishing to people; sweet wine, sour wine, and various kinds of fermented drinks, as well as the food offerings in bamboo and wooden vessels and on the sacrificial table, all originate from here. This is the reason why the hexagram Need takes "food and drink" as its meaning.

《易》象學迷失一千有七百餘年，漢儒及近代諸儒所說頗細碎，雖不可廢，然於大體未明，終無益也。但《易》之未易明者，非直象學。蓋義理之說，至伊川、晦庵，可謂精切粹美，而《易》之大義未能復古者，亦多有之。

The study of imagery in the Book of Changes has been lost for more than seventeen hundred years. What the Han dynasty scholars and later Confucian scholars have discussed is rather trivial; although it cannot be entirely discarded, since they have not clearly explained the main points, their contributions are ultimately of little use. However, what is difficult to explain in the Book of Changes is not only the imagery. As for the school of reasoning, it reached its refined and pure state with Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi; yet there are still many areas where the great principles of the Book of Changes have not recovered the ancient methods.

如漢儒說《易》有三義，今人多只說“變易”，是《易》之名義未能復古一也。太極、兩儀、四象、八卦，得康節始為之發明，而重卦之義未有說以相通，是重卦之義未能復古二也。孔子稱：“《易》，逆數”，而今之《圖》乃是半順半逆，是逆順之義未能復古三也。

For example, Han dynasty scholars explained the character "易" as containing three meanings: simplicity, change, and constancy. Modern people mostly focus only on the meaning of change, which indicates that the interpretation of the name "易" has not returned to the ancient way, the first issue. The concept that the Supreme Ultimate gives rise to the Two Principles, the Two Principles give rise to the Four Symbols, and the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Trigrams was only elaborated by Shao Yong. The principle of recombining the Eight Trigrams into the sixty-four Hexagrams has not been fully understood either, which is the second issue. Confucius said in the "Commentary on the Hexagrams" that "The Book of Changes is about reverse counting." However, the current transmitted diagram of the Heavenly Stem is half in reverse order and half in forward order, which indicates that the meaning of reverse and forward has not returned to the ancient way, the third issue.

卦名義無相犯者，如咸是“取女”，漸是嫁女，恆是夫婦、居室，歸妹是兄嫁其妹，而說者以歸妹是嫁女、是與，咸取女之義，初無分別，甚者則以為少女嫁長男，是卦之名義不能復古四也。

The meanings of the hexagram names do not conflict with each other. The hexagram Xian (咸) refers to a man taking a wife (taking a woman), the hexagram Jian (渐) refers to a woman giving away a daughter, the hexagram Heng (恒) refers to a married couple living together in a house, and the hexagram Gui Mei (归妹) refers to an elder brother marrying off his younger sister. However, interpreters have explained Gui Mei as also meaning giving away a daughter and "yu" (to give), making it indistinguishable from the meaning of Xian's "taking a woman." Worse still, some say Gui Mei refers to a young woman marrying an elder brother. This is the fourth instance where the original meaning of the hexagram names has been lost.

伏羲之時，占法簡易，故孔子曰“八卦定吉凶”，蓋比之於今之析草擲荊亦足以定吉凶得失。及為六十四卦變為三百八十四爻亦已多矣，而或以為一卦可變為六十四卦，則失之於繁，非簡《易》之道，雖漢儒有此例，然文王、周公之法本不如是，是卦變之法不能復古五也。

In the time of Fuxi, divination methods were simple, so Confucius said, "The eight trigrams determine fortune and misfortune." This is like today's folk practice of bending grass or throwing pieces of shrub to seek divination, which is still sufficient to determine gains and losses. Later, when the trigrams were expanded into the sixty-four trigrams and the lines became 384, it was already excessive. Yet some people mistakenly believed that one trigram could transform into the sixty-four trigrams, which became overly complicated and deviated from the principle of simplicity. Although Han dynasty scholars had such methods, the divination techniques of King Wen and the Duke of Zhou were originally not like this. This is the fifth point regarding the method of changing trigrams, which cannot be restored to the past.

燧人氏始修火利，未必遽有鼎也，火食既興，邑居既成，而後有井以養。而今之說者謂井、鼎名卦，古已有之，非始於文王，是卦名不能復古六也。《易》卦有自然之數，皆與《河圖》、《洛書》相通，而說者以《易》起於《河圖》，《範》起於《洛書》，執泥特甚，是《易》數之原不能復古七也。

At the time when the fire was first used by the people of the Shui Ren dynasty, there was probably no bronze tripod yet; it was only after the custom of cooking food became widespread and cities and villages were formed that wells were made to supply the people. But now those who explain the Book of Changes wrongly claim that the names of the well and tripod hexagrams have existed since ancient times, not being named by King Wen. This is the sixth point regarding the inability to restore the original names of the hexagrams. The hexagrams of the Book of Changes have their own natural numbers, which are connected with the River Chart and the Lo Book; yet those who explain it insist that the Book of Changes comes solely from the River Chart and the Hong Fan comes solely from the Lo Book, being too rigid. This is the seventh point regarding the inability to restore the original source of the numbers in the Book of Changes.

文王、周公之辭簡奧深宻，孔子懼久而學者不能明，乃作十翼以推衍其義，蓋與前聖互相補足，其或說理甚詳，是亦推致未盡之象，非與文王、周公異旨，而世之說者未能體會為一，遂以夫子所說與文王、周公不同，是《易》之辭義不能復古八也。占中有象，象中有占，象有未盡者，因占辭以補其缺。近世學者雖知分別象占，而不知占中實有未盡之象，是《易》之占辭不能復古九也。

The hexagram line statements composed by King Wen and the Duke of Zhou are concise, profound, and meticulous. Confucius feared that over time scholars might not fully understand them, so he wrote the Ten Wings to elaborate on their meanings. This was originally meant to complement the earlier sages. Sometimes the Ten Wings explain things in great detail, which is because they explore the unexpressed images contained in the hexagram line statements, not because they established a different doctrine from King Wen and the Duke of Zhou. However, those who explain the Book of Changes fail to integrate the two, leading them to claim that Confucius' interpretations differ from those of King Wen and the Duke of Zhou. This is the eighth failure in the inability to restore the original meaning of the Book of Changes. The divination statements contain images, and the images contain divination. When the images are not fully expressed, the divination statements supplement their deficiencies. Modern scholars, although they understand the distinction between images and divination, do not realize that the divination statements actually contain unexpressed images. This is the ninth failure in the inability to restore the original meaning of the Book of Changes.

卦用七八，爻用九六，自杜氏注春秋，有雜用《連山》、《歸藏》、《周易》三易，皆以七八為占之說，而晦庵《啟蒙》頗因之，是蓍法不能復古十也。春秋占法至為精妙，去古既逺，易道雖晦，然猶有此以見古法之精。而世之學者例以左氏為妄誕不之信，是占法不能復古十一也。

Unchanging lines use seven and eight, while changing lines use nine and six. Since Du Yu's commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals proposed that during divination, the three books of the Yi, namely the Lianshan, Guicang, and Zhouyi, were used together, and that seven and eight were used for divination, Zhu Xi's "Yixue启蒙" (Introduction to the Study of the Yi) also followed this approach. This is the tenth reason why the method of using the yarrow stalks cannot be restored. The divination methods recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals are extremely refined; although they are far from ancient times and the principles of the Yi are obscure, these divination examples still allow us to glimpse the precision of ancient methods. However, scholars of the world generally regard the accounts recorded by the Leftist School as absurd and are unwilling to believe them. This is the eleventh reason why the divination methods cannot be restored.

六十四卦上下經序次條理秩然，夫子本文之外，又得先儒推究，十有八象三十六宮，既以發其隱秘，而序次之妙，推尋猶有未盡者。而先儒或謂非《易》之蘊，晦庵以為是《易》之蘊，而非其精，是《序卦》之義未能復古十二也。

The sixty-four hexagrams are arranged in the Upper and Lower Classics in an orderly sequence. In addition to the main text of Confucius' "Sequence of Hexagrams" transmission, earlier Confucian scholars have made further investigations, leading to the concepts of eighteen images and thirty-six palaces, which have revealed some of the hidden meanings. However, the subtlety of the arrangement order still has aspects that remain unexplored. Yet some earlier Confucian scholars have claimed that the "Sequence of Hexagrams" does not capture the essence of the Zhou Changes, while Zhu Xi considered it to contain the meaning of the Zhou Changes, but not its most subtle aspects. This is the twelfth point regarding the meaning of the "Sequence of Hexagrams" not returning to the ancient ways.

文王、周公本文脫誤者少，縱有脫誤，當闕其疑。自胡安定改“鴻漸于逵”以來，晦庵於鼎卦用鄭玄說，訓渥為剭，於升卦改順為慎，於無妄以為無望，此類不一，是脫誤疑字未能復古十三也。

The text of the hexagrams compiled by King Wen and the Duke of Zhou has very few missing or erroneous characters. Even if there are some errors, the doubtful parts should be left blank for further inquiry. Since Hu Yuan (known as Master of the Stable) changed the phrase "Hong Jie Yu Lu" to "Hong Jie Yu Kui" in the渐 (Gradual Progress) hexagram's upper ninth line, Zhu Xi adopted Zheng Xuan's interpretation in the鼎 (Tripod) hexagram, interpreting "Wo" as "Zhen" (severe punishment). In the升 (Ascent) hexagram, he changed "Shun" to "Shen," and in the无妄 (No False Expectation) hexagram, he considered "Wu Wang" to be "Wu Wang." Such instances of altering characters are not limited to one case. This is the thirteenth case of doubtful characters that have not been restored to their original forms due to errors and omissions.

凡此十有三者，特義理、文字之間而其未能復古者，已如此況，象學之微妙曠失既久，非刳心滌慮、天開其愚、神啟其秘，孰能與於此乎？其十三事，雖與象學無與，但關渉甚大，非可言盡，今卷中亦畧見其說焉。

The above thirteen items are merely matters of meaning and text, and they have already failed to restore the ancient methods. Moreover, the subtle and profound principles of divination have been lost for a long time. Unless one opens his heart and purifies his mind, and receives enlightenment from heaven and divine guidance to uncover the hidden secrets, who could possibly engage in this discipline? Although these thirteen matters are not directly related to the principles of divination, they are deeply connected and cannot be fully explained in a few words. Now, in this chapter, I will briefly express my own views.

伏羲始畫八卦時，已用之決吉凶，故大傳曰：“八卦定吉凶”。其時事簡，故不容尚煩。及稍欲求詳，始用重卦，故謂之貞悔。言三畫可矣，又以為未足，故更用三畫，謂之貞者言是正法，謂之悔者言其過也。貞悔之後又有變卦，則以本卦為貞，支卦為悔。占筮至此極矣！貞屯、悔豫又是一例。

Fuxi first used the Eight Trigrams to determine fortune and misfortune when he first drew them, so the Great Treatise says "the Eight Trigrams determine fortune and misfortune." At that time, human affairs were simple and did not require complicated methods. Later, when more detailed analysis was needed, people began to stack two trigrams on top of each other, leading to the terms "Zhen" and "Hui." Originally, a trigram made up of three lines was sufficient, but people felt it was not enough, so they added another three lines. The term "Zhen" refers to the main body and standard method, while "Hui" refers to the position of change and the moving aspect. After distinguishing between Zhen and Hui, there came the concept of the Resulting Hexagram. Thus, the Primary Hexagram is called "Zhen," and the hexagram that results from it is called "Hui." The method of divination ends here. The example from Guoyu where Prince Chong'er of Jin was divined as "Zhen Tun, Hui Yu" is another instance of this kind.

晦庵云，一朋友說有八卦之金木水火土，有五行之金木水火土。如乾為金，八卦之金也；兌之金，五行之金也；巽為木，卦中取象也；震為木，乃東方屬木，五行之木也。

Zhu Xi said: A friend mentioned that there are two sets of the Five Phases. One set belongs to the Eight Trigrams, and the other belongs to the Five Phases. For example, Qian represents metal in the context of the Eight Trigrams; Dui represents metal in the context of the Five Phases. Xun represents wood as the image taken from the trigrams; Zhen represents wood because Zhen is located in the East, and the East belongs to wood, which is the wood of the Five Phases.

澤謂乾為金，是以氣類推之，則金管屬乾，以其剛耳。若《易》中只是以乾為天，不曽說金，其陽爻陽位取義於金者，亦是取其剛，初非以有乾。故兌雖當為金，但《易》卦中只說澤，而未有以為金者。震當為木，然《易》中說木，乃是指意，非以震故。此不可不知。或人之說，雖非背理，然說《易》惟要精淨，不可混雜。澤嘗有詩云：“井困乾枯乾有水”，有一朋友雲以乾為金能生水，理非不通，但淺陋耳。

I think that saying Qian represents metal is derived from the classification of qi — metal is always associated with Qian because of its strong and vigorous nature. If we consider the text of the Zhouyi itself, it only treats Qian as Heaven, never referring to Qian as metal. Those who derive the meaning of metal from the yang lines and yang positions are merely taking the meaning of strength and vigor, not because there is a Qian hexagram. Therefore, although Dui belongs to metal according to the Five Phases, the image of the Zhouyi only refers to Lake, not metal. Similarly, Zhen should belong to wood according to the Five Phases, but the Zhouyi refers to wood in terms of meaning, not because of Zhen. This point should be known. The friend's view is not entirely wrong, but in explaining the Zhouyi, we should pursue purity and clarity, avoiding mixed interpretations. I once wrote a poem saying "Well dried up in Qian, Qian has water"; a friend explained it by saying that since Qian belongs to metal and metal produces water — this explanation is not entirely wrong, but it is somewhat superficial.

春秋傳占法，卻只於《易》，無此之失。一卦用七八，又用九六，故《周易》每爻必係以九六者，為此也。若如杜氏說，雜用《連山》、《歸藏》之易，皆以七八為占，此恐非是。若如此，則是占者無定法。既已得卦，卻臨時兼用七八為占，是占無定據矣。晦庵《本義》遇艮之八，只當占艮六二，亦是不據六二而以七八為占。夫爻謂之六二，而乃以八為占，恐非筮法，愚不能明，終未敢從也。

The divination methods recorded in the Inner and Outer Chronicles of the Spring and Autumn Annals rely only on the Book of Changes, and do not have this problem. Within one hexagram, both seven and eight (unchanging lines) are used, as well as nine and six (changeable lines). The Book of Changes specifies that each line must be prefixed with the name "nine" or "six," precisely for this reason. If we follow Du Yu's statement that divination should combine the two books, the Lian Mountain and Gui Zang, and use seven and eight as the basis for divination, it might not be correct. If this were true, then the diviner would lack a fixed method: once the hexagram is determined, they would then arbitrarily use seven and eight to make a judgment, which would mean the basis for divination is not fixed. Zhu Xi's The Original Meaning of the Book of Changes mentions "meeting Gen and eight," stating that only the second line of the Gen hexagram should be used for divination. This approach does not follow the line statement of the second line but instead uses "eight" for divination. Since that line is called "six two," yet "eight" is used for divination, it seems inconsistent with the method of divination. I am dull-witted and do not fully understand, so I dare not follow this approach.

《周易》占變爻之法，《繫辭》中不見，獨《春秋》內外傳有十數處，然大抵古法難以盡曉。如艮之八、泰之八、貞屯悔豫皆八，最為可疑。《啟蒙》雖頗具其說，誠恐非古法也。

The method of determining changing lines in the Zhou Changes is not recorded in the Great Treatise, but appears in several divination examples in the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu. However, the ancient method is largely difficult to fully understand. Phrases such as "Gèn zhi bā," "Tai zhi bā," and "Zhen Tun hui Yu jie bā" are particularly puzzling. Although Zhu Xi's Yi Xue Minglun explains the method in a fairly complete way, it is likely not the original ancient practice.

獨《啟蒙》三爻變則占本卦及之卦之彖辭，而以本卦為貞、之卦為悔，前十卦主貞、後十卦主悔，又引沙隨程氏曰“晉公子重耳筮得國，遇貞屯、悔豫皆八，蓋初與四五凡三爻變也。初與五用九變，四用六變，其不變者二、三、上，皆兩卦皆為八故。”而司空季子占之曰：皆利建侯。

The "启蒙" section states that when three lines change, one should consult the statement of the primary hexagram and the resulting hexagram, taking the primary hexagram as "Zhen" and the resulting hexagram as "Hui". Among the sixty-four hexagrams, the first ten are primarily based on Zhen, while the last ten are primarily based on Hui. It also cites the words of Cheng Jing, a person from Sha sui, who said: When Duke Chong'er of Jin asked whether he could regain the state, he encountered "Zhen Tun, Hui Yu both eight". This refers to the first line and the fourth and fifth lines changing together, making three lines change. The first and fifth lines changed due to encountering a nine, while the fourth line changed due to encountering a six. The second, third, and top lines remained unchanged, and in both Tun and Yu hexagrams, the eighth line was obtained, hence the statement. Then Si Kong Jizi gave the divination: Both Tun and Yu hexagrams state "favorable for establishing feudal lords".

據澤管見，恐程說實可疑。蓋三爻遇九六、三爻遇八，即是一卦之中，三爻變了，若依《啟蒙》法當云“遇屯之豫”，其不變者在所不必道，固已不當稱八，又安得稱貞悔皆八乎？且七、八皆不用，之爻獨不聞說七，何也？豈有之而偶不載邪？是亦可疑矣。

According to my shallow opinion, I fear that Cheng Xiong's statement is indeed doubtful. If the third line meets a six or a eight, that would mean three lines have changed in one hexagram; following the style of the "启蒙" (Awakening), it should be stated as "meeting Zun (屯) and Yu (豫)". The unchanging lines should not be mentioned at all, so they should not be called eight, yet how can it be said "Zhen and Hui are both eight"? Furthermore, both seven and eight are unchanging lines, but in the divination examples, we only hear of eight and never of seven. Is it possible that there was once a case of seven but it was just not recorded? This is also a doubtful point.

《啟蒙》又云：四爻變，則以本卦二不變爻占，仍以下爻為主，曰經傳無文，今以例推之當如此。又曰五爻變，則以本卦不變爻占，引穆姜往東宮筮，遇艮之八，史曰：是謂艮之隨。蓋五爻皆變，唯二得八，故不變也。法宜以“係小子，失丈夫”為占，大畧如此。

The启蒙 also says: if the fourth line changes, use the two unchanging lines in the primary hexagram for divination, taking the lower one as the main line; it also says that the classics and commentaries do not clearly state this, but now we infer according to the established pattern that it should be so. It also says: if the fifth line changes, use the single unchanging line in the primary hexagram for divination, and cites the example of Lady Mu Jiang of Lu moving to the Eastern Palace, where she consulted the divination and encountered 'Gen changing to Ba'. The historian said, 'This is called Gen changing into Su', which refers to all five lines changing, except the second line which remains Ba, thus unchanging. According to the method, the line statement of line six two in the Su hexagram, 'Binding a young man, losing the elder', should be used for divination. This is the general idea.

澤以為《周易》每爻皆稱九、稱六者，所以見遇九、遇六而後可用其爻之辭占，今若用占不變爻，則是兼用七、八矣，非經九、六之意也。但蓍法雖頗存，而變爻之法亦已闕矣，民間決疑又不可廢，故世俗相傳，因仍訛謬，以求變卦。若如《啟蒙》，則有條理可用，但若便以此為定法，不復加考索之功，則不可爾。

I think that in The Zhou Changes (I Ching), each line is called "nine" or "six" to indicate that when one encounters a nine or a six, one can then use the line statement corresponding to that line for divination. Now, if one uses an unchanging line for divination, that would be equivalent to using both seven and eight, which does not conform to the original intention of the classic text in distinguishing between nine and six. However, although the method of divination with yarrow stalks is still largely preserved, the method of changing lines has become incomplete. Yet, since people cannot do without it for deciding matters and resolving doubts, the common people have passed it down through generations, making mistakes and continuing with it. If one follows the method outlined in The启蒙 (Awakening), there is still some order to follow. However, if one takes it as a fixed method without further investigation, that would not be acceptable.

澤嘗自謂：澤之學如立的以射，立的既髙且逺，故難為功。然至於卦變之法，求之四十餘年，無所不用其思，而猶未敢確然獨有所主，倘欲於此決擇，當俟理熟，必更加數年，而後可焉。

I once said of myself that my study is like setting up a target to shoot arrows at; the target is set very high and far away, so it is difficult to see results. As for the method of changing hexagrams, I have pursued it for more than forty years, and I have considered all that I can think of, yet I still dare not firmly establish my own view. If I were to make a decision on this matter, I would have to wait until the principles are thoroughly understood, and with several more years of effort, then I could proceed.

朱子《繫辭》本義云：第九章言天地大衍之數、揲蓍求卦之法，然亦畧耳，意其詳具於太卜、筮人之官，而今不可考爾。其可推者，《啟蒙》備言之。由此而言，則晦庵亦已知揲蓍求卦之法不完其作，《啟蒙》亦隨所見，以備一法，讀者於此當知立言之意雲。

Zhu Xi's "The Original Meaning of the Zhou Changes" explains the "Great Treatise" saying that the ninth chapter discusses the numbers of heaven and earth, the number of the Great Derivation, and the method of divining with the yarrow stalks, but only in a general way. He suggests that the detailed procedures originally belonged to officials such as the Great Diviner and the Diviner, but they are now no longer traceable. Among what can be inferred, the "Awakening of Intelligence" covers everything thoroughly. According to this, Zhu Xi himself realized that the method of divining with the yarrow stalks was not complete. He wrote the "Awakening of Intelligence" merely based on his own observations, offering a provisional set of procedures. Readers should understand his intention in making these statements.

象與數，不可相離。象為主，而數為用。如天是象，三百六十五度四分度之一是數；日、月是象，一日一度、一月十三度十九分度之七是數。天與日、月運而為春夏秋冬，又積為元、會、運、世，天與日月是象，春夏秋冬、元會運世是數。《易》之有象數，所以法天，卦主象，而蓍主數，二者相湏。但象有定而數無窮，故成變化、行鬼神，必歸之數也。

Images and numbers cannot be separated from each other: the image is the main body, and the number is its function. For example, heaven is the image, and the number of 365 and 1/4 degrees in a full circle is the number; the sun and moon are images, and the number of one degree traveled by the sun in a day and thirteen and seven nineteenths degrees traveled by the moon in a day is the number. The movement of heaven and the sun and moon forms the four seasons, and when accumulated, it forms the terms yuan, hui, yun, and shi. Heaven and the sun and moon are images, while the four seasons and the terms yuan, hui, yun, and shi are numbers. The I Ching has both images and numbers because it follows the pattern of heaven; hexagrams govern images, and the yarrow stalks govern numbers, and the two depend on each other. However, images have a fixed form while numbers are endless, so the Great Treatise says, "It brings about transformation and movement, and acts like ghosts and spirits," ultimately returning to numbers.

又澤《舊說》云：卦以象告，而蓍以數行，二者不可相離。象具吉凶悔吝，而數以行其吉凶悔吝。蓋《繫辭》言天一、地二，止天九、地十，下文即繼之曰：夫《易》何為者也？止如斯而已者也。《易》道雖大，然亦不能外此。十數，夫天與日月星辰之運。非數，無以紀之四時迭運，萬物始終莫有逃乎數者，此成變化、行鬼神所以必歸之數也。

I have also said before that hexagrams use images to convey meaning, and the yarrow stalks use numbers to carry out the process, and the two cannot be separated. The images contain the elements of good fortune, misfortune, regret, and hardship, while numbers bring these elements into manifestation. The Great Treatise explains starting from "Heaven one, Earth two" up to "Heaven nine, Earth ten," and immediately follows with "What is the purpose of the Book of Changes?" continuing until "This is all there is to it." Although the way of the Book of Changes is vast and profound, it cannot go beyond these ten numbers. The movement of Heaven and the sun, moon, and stars cannot be recorded without numbers; the changing of the four seasons and the beginning and end of all things cannot escape the realm of numbers. This is why "producing change and acting like ghosts and spirits" ultimately must return to numbers.

孔子曰：《易》之興也，其於中古乎？作《易》者，其有憂患乎？鄭仲復問：作《易》者，其有憂患乎？如何只取九卦，晦庵云：聖人論處憂患，偶然說此九卦，意思白足，若更添一卦也不妨。更不說一卦也不妨，只就此九卦中，亦自盡有道理，且《易》中盡有處憂患底卦，非除九卦之外皆非所以處憂患也。若以困為處憂患底卦，則屯、蹇非處憂患而何？晦庵之說如此。

Confucius said, "The emergence of The Zhou Changes probably took place in the middle ancient times. The person who composed The Book of Changes probably had some anxieties in his mind." Zheng Zhongfu asked, "If the person who composed The Book of Changes had anxieties, why does the Great Treatise only mention nine hexagrams: Lu, Qian, Fu, Heng, Sun, Yi, Kun, Jing, and Xun?" Zhu Xi answered, "The sage discussed the way of dealing with anxieties, and occasionally cited these nine hexagrams, and the meaning was already sufficient. Adding one more hexagram would not be a problem, nor would omitting one. Within these nine hexagrams, there are endless explanations. Moreover, there are many hexagrams in The Zhou Changes that deal with anxieties, and it is not the case that only these nine can be used to deal with anxieties. If Kun is considered a hexagram dealing with anxieties, then Tun and Jian are not also hexagrams dealing with anxieties?" This is Zhu Xi's explanation.

澤謂：聖人處此九卦，必真有處憂患之理，決非偶然。今若於屯、蒙、需、訟、師、比、小畜、泰、否、同人、大有內再說一卦，亦恐不可。如屯本以象開闢之時、洪荒之事，其在中世，則是經營、創造之象，比於九卦，非其類也。蹇是險在前，教人以見險則止，不是在險中處險難之道，於九卦亦不類。

I think the sages arranged these nine trigrams with definite reasons concerning matters of concern and hardship, not merely by chance. If we were to add another trigram from among Zun, Meng, Xu, Song, Shi, Bi, Xiao Xu, Tai, Pǐ, Tong Ren, and Da You, it would probably be inappropriate. For instance, the Zun trigram originally symbolizes the beginning of creation, the chaotic and primitive state of the world; if interpreted in terms of middle ancient human affairs, it represents the image of establishing and founding enterprises, which does not belong to the same category as the nine trigrams. The Jian trigram represents encountering obstacles and difficulties, teaching people to stop when facing danger, rather than explaining how to deal with difficulties when in a dangerous situation, and thus differs from the nine trigrams as well.

蓋此九卦，是以卦名、卦義、卦象取之，如上天、下地，豈不可以辨上下、定民志？卻取履卦者，以澤處於地，尤卑。此尊卑之極，蓋有感於君臣之際，故又極於卑順也。謙以九三一陽處於眾陰之間，又在下體，君子勞謙之象。復是有過則改，不逺之復，亦是。自剝而坤，自坤而復，渉歴艱難，而誠不已之象。雷風動盪卦之名恆，所以見其於勞擾之中而有恆者在。

These nine trigrams are selected from three aspects: the name of the trigram, its meaning, and its symbolic image. For example, the trigrams of "Obstruction" and "Great Crossing" with heaven above and earth below, could also be used to distinguish between superior and inferior, and to stabilize the people's minds. However, the trigram "Footsteps" (履卦), which has heaven above and marsh below, is chosen because the marsh is located beneath the earth, especially humble. This represents an extreme distinction between high and low, and contains a deep meaning regarding the relationship between ruler and subject, thus selecting a trigram that is extremely submissive. The trigram "Humility" (谦卦) is chosen because the single yang line in the third position is located among many yin lines and is in the lower trigram, which symbolizes the image of a gentleman who works diligently yet remains humble. The trigram "Returning" (复卦) discusses the idea of correcting mistakes when they occur and turning back when one has not gone far ("not far returning"), which conveys the same meaning. The transition from the trigram "Splitting" (剥卦) to "Earth" (坤卦), and then from "Earth" to "Returning," represents enduring great difficulties while never losing a single sincere heart, which is exactly the symbolic image. The trigram "Constant" (恒卦), which depicts thunder and wind interacting and stirring, is named "Constant" precisely to show that even amidst turmoil and disturbance, there is something constant within a person.

損以懲忿窒欲，益以見善則遷、有過則改，困者人臣以致命遂志，井取其不變、不窮而常潔新。巽者，酌事而處始，終不失於卑順，所以巽卦辭稱“小亨”者，是主陰爻言之：初陰所處甚卑，至六四柔而得位，不失其正，夫柔而得位，所以能推行也；四乃人臣之位，而柔巽不失其正，文王所以率殷之叛國以事紂，則亦取諸此，但以此之事亦非得已，故稱“小亨”。

The hexagram of Sun teaches people to restrain anger and suppress private desires; the hexagram of Yi teaches people to follow good deeds and correct mistakes when they occur. The hexagram of Kun teaches that a subject should be willing to sacrifice his life to fulfill his aspirations. The hexagram of Jing takes its meaning from the well, which remains unchanged, never runs dry, and remains clean and fresh. The hexagram of Xun signifies acting after careful consideration, maintaining humility and obedience throughout. The hexagram statement of Xun is called "small success" because it refers to the yin lines: the first line is a single yin line in the most humble position, and the fourth line is a yin line in a yin position, which is proper and does not lose its correctness. Being gentle and in the proper position allows for the implementation of orders. The fourth line is also the position of a minister, who remains humble and respectful without losing correctness. King Wen once led the rebellious states of Yin to serve King Zhou, following exactly this principle; however, this was done out of necessity, hence it is called "small success."

凡此九卦在《連山》、《歸藏》取義、取象，必不如是。文王衍易，實寓此意，但其用意雖深，而其言簡畧，微夫子孰能極其旨、發其微哉？澤又疑：九卦之中，巽是八純卦，恐卦名古亦如此，履、謙等卦當是文王所名。如此解尤為明白，蓋象義與名皆文王意也，其餘卦名出於文王者，亦不止此焉。

The nine trigrams in the ancient books of "Lianshan" and "Guicang" must have taken their meanings and images in a different way. King Wen's derivation of the Zhou Changes was genuinely intended to express this meaning; although his intent was profound, his wording was very concise. Without Confucius, who could fully elaborate on his meaning and reveal his subtle intentions? I also have a further speculation: among the nine trigrams, Xun is one of the eight pure trigrams, and the name of the trigram may have been the same since ancient times; however, the names of trigrams such as Lu and Qian were probably determined by King Wen. If interpreted this way, it becomes much clearer—because the images, meanings, and names of the trigrams all originated from King Wen's intention. There are also other trigram names that originated from King Wen's hand, not just these few.

禮以卑下為基，故履是徳之基。居下而有所守，不失其正，故謙是徳之柄。復則不妄，故復是徳之本。雷風動盪比於事變叢雜，而處之不失其常，故恆是徳之固。損其過，所以為徳之修。遭事變之多，而自處益厚，所以為徳之裕。處困窮之極，則識理愈精，操心危慮患深，諳悉情偽，而後處事各有所當，所以為徳之辨。不變不窮，所以為徳之地。巽順，則不違理，乃能制事，所以為徳之制。

Etiquette is based on humility and being lowly, so the Great Treatise says that "walking" is the foundation of virtue. Being in a low position yet maintaining one's principles without losing righteousness, so humility is the handle of virtue. Being able to return to one's original mind avoids falsehood, so "returning" is the root of virtue. Thunder and wind interact and stir up, like complex and varied events, yet remaining steady in the midst of them, so constancy is the firmness of virtue. Reducing one's own faults, so "reduction" is the cultivation of virtue. The more events one encounters, the more solid one's character becomes, so "increase" is the abundance of virtue. Being in the extreme of hardship, one's understanding of principles becomes more refined; being cautious in mind and deeply concerned, one thoroughly understands the true nature of human relationships, thus handling affairs appropriately, so "difficulty" is the discernment of virtue. The well remains unchanged and its water never runs out, so "well" is the foundation of virtue. Humility and gentleness do not violate principles, thus enabling one to govern affairs, so "wind" is the regulation of virtue.

又據剝、明夷，亦當是憂患之卦，而不在此數者。剝自是陰陽消長之機，君子小人進退之理，於文王事不切。明夷義太顯。眾人所知，九卦是發其漸，乃人之所未識者也。困卦雖亦甚顯，然所謂徳之辨，窮而通，困以寡怨，亦是發其微。所謂寡怨者，蓋責已而不責人，亦文王之事也。退之《琴操》曰：“臣罪當誅兮，天王聖明。”可謂得文王之心者。凡人遇險陷，能責已而不責人，則心亨矣，何怨之有？

Now looking at the卦 of Pei (Bao) and Mingyi (Bright Light), they should also be considered as calamity and worry hexagrams, yet they are not among the nine. The Pei hexagram originally discusses the dynamics of yin and yang, and the principles of the virtuous and the petty advancing and retreating. However, it is not particularly fitting for King Wen's own situation. The Mingyi hexagram speaks of the injury to brightness, which is too obvious in meaning, and everyone understands it. But these nine hexagrams are meant to reveal things that people have not yet recognized in layers. Although the meaning of the Guan (Confusion) hexagram is also quite clear, the idea of "distinguishing virtue," being in困境 and then achieving success, and "being inpredicament without resentment" still reveals its subtle aspects. What is meant by "without resentment" is to blame oneself rather than others, which was exactly how King Wen acted. Han Yu (with the courtesy name Tuizhi) in his "Qincao" (Songs of the Zither) spoke on behalf of King Wen with the words, "The minister's crime deserves punishment, but the Heavenly King is wise and virtuous," which can be said to deeply understand King Wen's heart. When ordinary people encounter difficulties and fall intopredicament, if they can blame themselves rather than others, their hearts will naturally be at ease, and there is nothing to resent.

晦庵云：取象亦有來歴，不是假設、譬喻，但今以《說卦》求之，多所不通，故不得已而缺之，或且從先儒之說耳。又曰：易象也，湏有此理，但恁地零零碎碎去牽合傅會，得來不濟事，須是見他一個大，原許多名對象數皆通貫在裡面方是。又曰：象如此，而理在其中，卻不是因欲說道理，而後說象也。又曰：看《易》當靠定象看，便滋味長，若只懸空看，也沒甚意思。

Zhu Xi said: The images used in the Yi Classic have their origins, and are not made up out of nowhere or used casually as metaphors; however, when we check them against the Shuo Gua Zhuan, many of them do not make sense, so we are forced to leave them blank or follow the interpretations of previous Confucian scholars. He also said: The Yi Classic discusses images, but there must be a principle behind them; however, if we try to connect them in a scattered and forced way, it will not be helpful. We must see the fundamental principle and integrate all the names, relationships, and images into a coherent whole. He also said: The images are like this, and the principle lies within the images; it is not because we want to explain the principle that we then talk about the images. He also said: To study the Zhou Yi, one should rely closely on the images, for only then does it have meaning; if we look at it in an abstract way, it will be meaningless.

又《易象說》云：《易》之有象，其取之有所從，其推之有所用，非茍為寓言也。然兩漢諸儒必欲究其所從，則既滯泥而不通；王弼以來直欲推其所用，則又疏畧而無據，二者皆失之一偏，而不能闕其所疑之過也。

Zhu Xi also said in "Yi Xiang Shuo" that the "Zhou Yi" has images because the images have their origin and the use of the images has a purpose, and it is not just some arbitrary expressions. However, the Confucian scholars of the Han dynasty insisted on tracing the origin of the images, resulting in being overly rigid and unable to understand; those since Wang Bi only focused on the application of the images, resulting in being too superficial and lacking foundation. Both sides are biased, and the problem lies in not leaving the doubts unresolved.

且以一端論之乾之為馬、坤之為牛，《說卦》有明文矣：馬之為健，牛之為順，在物有常理矣。至於案文索卦，若屯之有馬而無乾，離之有牛而無坤，乾之六龍則或疑於震，坤之牝馬則當反為乾，是皆有不可曉者。

Let us take one example: Qian represents a horse and Kun represents an ox, as clearly stated in the "Commentary on the Hexagrams"; horses are naturally strong and vigorous, while oxen are naturally gentle and compliant, and there is a regular pattern in the nature of things. However, when we check according to the text of the classic, we find that the line statement of the Zun hexagram mentions a horse, yet the hexagram itself does not contain Qian; the statement of the Li hexagram mentions an ox, yet the hexagram itself does not contain Kun. The Qian hexagram speaks of "six dragons," and dragons seem to belong to Zhen; the Kun hexagram speaks of "female horse," and horses would logically belong to Qian. These points are all unclear.

是以漢儒求之《說卦》而不得，則遂創為互體、變體、五行、納甲、飛伏之法，叅互以求，幸其偶合，其說雖詳，然其不可通者終不可通，其可通者又皆傅會穿鑿，而非有自然之勢，唯其一二之適，然而無待於巧說者為若可信，然上無所關於義理之本原，下無所資於人事之訓戒，則又何必苦心勞力以求於此而欲必得之哉！

Therefore, Han dynasty Confucian scholars could not find answers in the "Shu Gua Zhuan," so they invented methods such as mutual trigrams, changing trigrams, the Five Phases, Najia stem assignment, and flying and hidden trigrams, using them in combination to try to achieve a coincidental match. Although their explanations were detailed, those that did not make sense remained incoherent; those that did make sense were mere forced interpretations without natural reasoning. Only a few parts coincided perfectly without the need for clever arguments, making them seem credible. However, these did not relate to the fundamental principles of meaning or help in guiding human conduct. So why should they expend so much effort to pursue them so desperately?

故王弼曰：“義茍應健，何必乾乃為馬；爻茍合順，何必坤乃為牛？”而程子亦曰：“理，無形也，故假象以顕義。”其所以破先儒膠固支離之失，而開後學玩辭、玩占之方則至矣。然觀其意，又似直以《易》之取象無復有所自來，但如《詩》之比興、《孟子》之譬喻而已。如此，則《說卦》之作為，無所與於《易》，而“近取諸身，逺取諸物”者亦剩語矣！故疑其說，亦若有未盡者。

Therefore, Wang Bi said: "As long as the meaning conforms to strength and vigorousness, why must Qian be specifically horses; as long as the line conforms to flexibility and compliance, why must Kun specifically be oxen?" Cheng Yi also said: "Principle has no form, so it uses images to manifest meaning." They used these views to break through the rigid and fragmented interpretations of earlier Confucian scholars, and to open a path for later learners to ponder the statements of the hexagrams and the divinatory statements. They can be said to have fully expressed their point. However, looking at their meaning, it seems they might simply regard the imagery used in the Zhou Yi as having no particular origin, merely like the metaphor and analogy in the Book of Poetry and the Mencius. If this is indeed the case, then the book of Shuo Gua Zhuan would have nothing to do with the Zhou Yi, and the statement in the Xi Ci Zhuan that "nearby we take from our own body, and far we take from external things" would become superfluous. Therefore, I suspect their view also has something not fully explained.

因切論之，以為《易》之取象固必有所自來，而其說已具太卜之官，顧今不可復考，則姑闕之，而直據辭中之象，以求象中之意，使足以為訓戒而決吉凶。如王氏、程子與吾《本義》之雲者，其亦足矣，固不必深求其象之所自來，然亦不可直謂之假設而遽欲忘之也。

Thus Zhu Xi profoundly argued that although the imagery in the Zhou Changes certainly has its origin, that system of thought was originally present among the officials in charge of divination, but since it is no longer possible to verify it, we may leave it as it is. Instead, we should directly rely on the imagery found in the statements of the hexagram and line statements, to seek the meaning contained within the imagery, so that it can serve as a moral instruction and a means of determining fortune and misfortune. As discussed by Wang Bi, Cheng Yi, and myself in my The Original Meaning of the Zhou Changes, this is sufficient: there is no need to deeply investigate the origin of the imagery, yet we should not hastily dismiss it as mere assumption and forget it altogether.

澤謂：漢儒必欲求象之所自來，則泥而不通；王輔嗣只欲明其用而忘象，則疎畧而象學遂廢；晦庵亦已深知其非，而猶有取於“義茍應健，何必乾乃為馬；爻茍合順，何必坤乃為牛”之語，斯亦不得已之辭。

My view is that Han dynasty scholars had to trace the origin of the images, resulting in being overly rigid and unable to understand properly; Wang Bi wanted only to explain the use of the images and forgot about the images themselves, leading to negligence and the decline of image studies. Zhu Xi also realized that both approaches were wrong, yet he still relied on the statement, "As long as the meaning conforms to strength and firmness, why must Qian be a horse; as long as the lines conform to flexibility and gentleness, why must Kun be an ox"—this was also a statement made out of necessity.

後之慾求文王、周公、孔子之旨者，則不可以此而遂怠其稽古探索之志。蓋此心本無限量，豈可據王氏之說，以自界畫而忘其乾乾不息之誠乎？夫潛心玩索、求而不得者有之，未有不求而得者也。孔子曰：後生可畏。止如今學者，當以聖人勉人者而自勉。

Later generations who wish to explore the original intent of King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius should not use this statement as an excuse to slacken their determination to investigate ancient methods and seek the fundamental principles. Human nature originally has no limits, how could one confine oneself by relying on a single statement from Wang Bi, forgetting the sincere effort of self-improvement? There are indeed cases where one diligently studies and still cannot reach an understanding; there is no way to gain understanding without seeking. Confucius said, "The young are to be feared," a statement that still applies to scholars of today. One should take the words of the sage as a self-motivation.

所貴於象學者，可以辯諸家之得失。凡紛紜雜錯之論，至明象而後定。象學不明，則如制器無尺度，作樂無律呂，舟車無指南，自然差錯。如晦庵解損上九得：“臣無家”。若以象求，則惠而不費之說太逺也。

The value of xiangxue lies in its ability to distinguish the merits and drawbacks of various interpretations. Whenever there are confused and conflicting opinions, once the xiang is clearly explained, right and wrong become evident. If xiangxue is not clear, it is like making objects without measurements, composing music without the twelve tones, or navigating without a compass, inevitably leading to errors. For example, Zhu Xi's interpretation of the line "getting a minister without a home" in the Xun hexagram's upper ninth line, when checked against the hexagram's image, reveals that his explanation of "benevolent without expense" is far from the original meaning.

又按，《邵氏聞見錄》云：王弼注鼎“其形渥，凶，以為沾濡之形也”，蓋弼不知古《易》形作刑，渥作剭，故《新唐史》元載贊用“刑剭”亦用剭誅雲。按，元載以罪誅，贊雲《易》稱“鼎折足，其刑剭”。《周禮.秋官.司烜氏》：“軍旅修火禁，邦若屋誅”。鄭司農云：屋誅，謂夷三族。屋讀如其刑剭之剭，謂所殺不於市，而以適甸師者也。

Now looking at what Shao Bowen said in his "Shao Shi Wen Jian Lu": Wang Bi commented on the line "Its form is soaked, calamity" in the Ding hexagram's Nine in the Fourth, thinking that "soaked" refers to being wet by the soup in the tripod. This was because Wang Bi did not know the ancient version of the "Zhou Changes" where "form" was written as "xing" and "soaked" as "zeng". Therefore, the eulogy for Yuan Zai in the "Xin Tang Shu" used "xing zeng", which refers to the meaning of "zeng" as execution. Yuan Zai was executed for his crimes, and the eulogy cited the "Zhou Changes" saying "The tripod breaks its leg, its punishment is zeng". The "Zhou Li · Autumn Official · Si Xuan Shi" has a passage: "In military campaigns, fire prohibitions are enforced; the state or house is punished." Zheng Zhong (known as Zheng Si Nong) explained that "house punishment" meant the extermination of three families; "house" is read as "zeng", referring to the punishment of killing people not displayed in the market but sent to the Dian Shi Shi for disposal.

澤謂：以屋誅解鼎折足，乃學秦法酷烈者之所為，非經意也。三公不稱其職，當以禮退，自非秦法，安可以屋誅為義？晦庵於此亦誤從之，此由象學不明，故訛錯如此。王弼雖不明象，然解作渥義，卻與象合。所以知王義為得者，餗既覆，則有鼎汁淋漓沾濡，此正是象，屋誅之說謬矣。一字之訛，所失如此，可不謹哉！

I think that using the brutal punishment of "wu zhu" (execution of three families) to explain the hexagram DING's line "ding zhe zu" (the tripod breaks its leg) is something that only those who follow the harsh laws of the Qin dynasty could come up with, not the intended meaning of the classic text. If the three high officials are not competent, according to ritual they should retire gracefully; unless using the Qin law, how could "wu zhu" be regarded as the meaning of the classic? Zhu Xi also mistakenly followed this view, which is exactly due to the unclear understanding of the symbolic meaning, leading to such errors. Although Wang Bi did not understand the symbolic meaning, his interpretation of "wo" as meaning "wetness" coincides with the hexagram's symbolism. Therefore, we know that Wang Bi's interpretation is correct — the delicious food in the tripod has already overturned, naturally there is the situation of the soup dripping and wetting, which is exactly what the hexagram shows; the idea of "wu zhu" is absurd. A single word error leads to such a great loss, how can we not be cautious!

《易》固非一象，亦非一用，聖人之意，但揀緊處說。如姤“勿用取女”是也。離“畜牝牛，吉”，想亦當然，但卻不可曉。

The Zhou Changes originally have not only one kind of image, nor only one method of use; the sage's intention is simply to point out the important aspects. For example, the Hexagram Statement of Gou says "Do not take a wife," which warns people against marrying this woman, which is pointing out the important aspect. The Hexagram Statement of Li says "Keep a female ox, which is auspicious," which seems to be the same principle, but I still do not fully understand what image is being referred to.

豐，卦辭多不可曉，蓋本雷電，卻又稱王“照天下”，似即難解。剝，有床蓐之象，故六五稱“宮人”，無妄是戒其妄動，謂天下有雷，懼其過也。此是一義。又一義，則是天下雷行，物知儆懼，不敢有妄。又一義，是天下雷行，萬物之生，各正性命，亦是無妄。程子以無妄是誠，然無妄是儆戒之意多，若以誠言，乃是思：誠者，人之道。

The hexagram statement of the Gong (Abundance) hexagram has many parts that are difficult to understand: the Gong hexagram is originally an image of thunder and lightning coming together, yet it speaks of the ruler "illuminating the world," which seems hard to interpret. The Bo (Breaking Up) hexagram has an image of a bed and a couch, so the line statement of the sixth line in the fifth position mentions "court attendants." The Wuwang (Without Falsehood) hexagram is a warning against reckless action: the image is thunder beneath the heavens, causing people to fear their own mistakes, which is one meaning. Another meaning is that the thunder moves throughout the heavens, and all things become cautious and do not act recklessly. A third meaning is that the thunder moves throughout the heavens, and all things grow and maintain their proper nature, which is also "wuwang." Cheng Yi interprets "wuwang" as "cheng" (sincerity); however, the main meaning of the Wuwang hexagram is caution and restraint. If one insists on interpreting it as "cheng," then one must understand it in the way the Zhongyong says, "Thinking of sincerity is the way of human beings."

屯、隨、無妄等卦，聖人立教之意甚深，或謂孔子之《易》說道理始多，不知文王之《易》已寓意焉，但未有其辭，至孔子始推明之耳。凡卦辭、爻象、取象、取義皆不一，亦多說未盡，所以孔子於乾坤二卦皆推致其義，使人知立象盡意，則未盡之意皆可推也。但六十四卦若皆如此推，則亦不可，故止推乾坤為例。或謂孔子《易》與文王、周公不同，此未然也。

The hexagrams Zun, Sui, and Wuwang and others, contain profound meanings that the sages used to establish teachings. Some people say that it was only when Confucius interpreted the Book of Changes that the emphasis on reasoning began. But in fact, King Wen's Book of Changes already contained these meanings, though they were not written down explicitly. It was only Confucius who elaborated and clarified them. The imagery and meanings in the hexagram statements and line statements are not limited to one approach, and often they are not fully expressed. Therefore, Confucius explained the principles of the hexagrams Qian and Kun to the fullest extent, so that people would understand the idea of "establishing images to convey meaning." In this way, the meanings not fully expressed can be inferred by oneself. However, if all sixty-four hexagrams were explained in this manner, it would be excessive, so Confucius only used Qian and Kun as examples. Some people say that Confucius' Book of Changes is different from that of King Wen and the Duke of Zhou, which is incorrect.

象學多端，不可一例取。澤於《六經補註》已言其畧。其乾九三，是用象解“或躍在淵”，“龍戰于野”亦然，但所說未詳。象學當舉豐、明夷、蠱、巽為比，例豐與明夷相似，蠱與巽相似，故卦辭、爻辭有相似者，然此只是一例。

The study of images is complex and cannot be approached with a single formula. In my "Supplementary Annotations on the Six Classics," I have already given a general explanation: in the section on the third line of the Qian hexagram, the image is used to explain "leaping from the abyss," and similarly, the image is used to explain "dragons fighting in the fields" in the sixth line of the Kun hexagram. However, the explanation is not yet detailed enough. To study images, one should compare several hexagrams such as Feng, Mingyi, Gu, and Xun. Feng and Mingyi are similar, and Gu and Xun are similar, so their hexagram statements and line statements have similar features. However, this is only one example among many.

大凡易象，皆聖人用意深逺，當虛心以求，不可淺躁，仍竢其體會，不可牽合，茍精神之至，必有黙相之者。

In general, the images in the Zhou Changes are the profound intentions of the sage, which should be sought with a calm and open mind, not with superficiality or haste. One must patiently wait for them to be naturally understood, rather than forcing a connection. As long as one's spirit is fully focused, there will certainly be unseen assistance from the unseen.

澤嘗作《讀易吟》十二章，今錄四章，以見大意。

I once wrote twelve chapters of "Reading the Book of Changes," and now I copy four of them to show the general meaning I have gained from studying the Book of Changes.

萬事多於近處迷，貪前說後更參差。 不從言外窺三聖，虛說淮南有九師。 井困乾枯乾有水，豐睽闇昧觀生輝。 如何天地都顛倒，卻道賢人正得時。

In the world, many things often become lost precisely where they are most immediate; focusing solely on the front while looking back to address the rear only makes things more confused and disordered. If one reads the Book of Changes without understanding the intentions of the three sages, Fuxi, King Wen, and Confucius beyond mere words, then even if one writes extensively like the "nine masters" in the court of Prince Huainan, it is merely empty talk. The hexagrams of Well and Obstruction originally symbolize dryness and depletion, yet water is present within the hexagram of Heaven; the hexagrams of Abundance and Strife originally represent darkness and confusion, yet one must see the light within them. How could the heavens and earth appear entirely inverted? Yet precisely in this inversion, the virtuous person meets his proper time.

不是浮花爛漫開，有枝有乾有根荄。 一聲也自喉嚨出，六脈元從腑臟來。 莫向壁間看舊畫，也依火後撥寒灰。 要餐一斛黃連後，恐怕餘甘稍自回。

The imagery and numbers in the Book of Changes are not superficial flowers blooming randomly in the air; they have branches, trunks, and roots, each layer connected to their origin. When a person opens his mouth and speaks, the sound comes from the throat; the six pulse readings in medicine naturally connect to the five viscera and six bowels. Do not merely look at an old painting on the wall and stick to old interpretations; do not wait until the fire is out and then try to stir the cold ashes, searching through the remnants of previous scholars. One must first swallow a full measure of bitter yellow连 (a type of bitter herb) before there is any hope of tasting a little sweetness in return.

天機地軸誰曾見，脈絡相關也要知。 隻眼不開千眼閉，一波才動萬波隨。 便成儡子終非活，已出蠶蛾不是絲。 直要渾然方見易，斷章取義且尋詩。

The vital center of Heaven and the axis of Earth, who has ever seen them with their own eyes? Yet the connections between them must not be unknown to those who study the Book of Changes. If one eye is closed, it is as if all eyes are shut; when a single ripple appears on the water's surface, myriad ripples follow. Explanations pieced together from fragments, though they may be shaped like wooden puppets, are never truly alive; once the silkworm moth breaks free from its cocoon and flies away, the empty shell left behind is no longer silk. One must achieve a complete and integrated understanding to truly see the Book of Changes; as for interpretations that take passages out of context, they may be used for poetry, but not for the Book of Changes.

卦情物理兩堪疑，此處誰能析隱微。 鳴鶴胡然逢子和，髙鴻何事不云飛。 干將有氣須沖斗，龍馬雖神必受羈。 役使陰陽全是易，躊躕未易洩天機。

The situation contained in the hexagram and the principles inherent in things both raise doubts in people's minds. The subtle and hidden aspects in between are something no one can fully unravel. The second line of Zhongfu hexagram says, "A crane calls in the shade, and its young respond in harmony." Why does this crane specifically have its kind respond? The hexagram Jie takes its image from wild geese, yet why can't the high-flying geese soar endlessly into the clouds? A treasure sword like Ganjiang's sword qi inevitably rises straight to the constellation Dou and Niu; even a mythical dragon horse, though extraordinary, cannot escape being tethered and restrained. The ability to command yin and yang lies entirely within this Book of Changes; yet I have hesitated repeatedly, for the heavenly mechanism is not easily revealed.

易象兩端，不可一說取，不可一例求。如漸是山上有木，若推未盡之象，則亦是山上有風。又漸是漸進之義，卻取象於鴻，鴻飛髙舉，而取象於鴻，則不使之髙舉，蓋鴻雖有髙舉之資，然風物之中繫於氣運，受役於陰陽者，唯鴻為最甚。又其一南一北，亦必以其漸始，終不自由而卒，莫知其所以然。此鴻之謂也。大抵陰陽役使萬物，而萬物不自知。聖人作《易》，又所以役使陰陽而人亦未易知。

The images in the Book of Changes have two aspects, and one cannot take only one interpretation or follow only one pattern. For example, the hexagram Zhan (Gradual) has the upper trigram Gen (Mountain) and the lower trigram Xun (Wind), symbolizing a mountain with wood. If we push the image further, it can also represent a mountain with wind. Moreover, the meaning of Zhan is gradual progress, yet it takes the image of wild geese. Although wild geese are naturally able to fly high, when they are used as an image, they are not allowed to fly straight up. This is because wild geese, among all creatures, are most influenced by the forces of yin and yang and the natural conditions of heaven and earth. They come from the south at one time and go to the north at another, and they must proceed step by step, always without control, until they die without knowing why they behave this way. This is the purpose of using the image of wild geese. In general, yin and yang drive all things, yet the things themselves are unaware. The sages composed the Book of Changes to use it to drive yin and yang, yet people are also not easily aware of this.

太極既判，盈乎兩間者，有象有數，有形有聲，而《易》已用其三，唯聲音不可知。然康節邵先生明於先天之學，聲音之畧具於《經世書》。又《易.大象》曰：“先王以作樂崇徳，殷薦之上帝，以配祖考。”然則《易》於天地間，無所不該矣，萬世無康節，則聲音之學實亦未知。

After the Taiji splits into two, the things filling the space between heaven and earth include images, numbers, forms, and sounds. The Zhou Yi has already used three of these, but sound remains unclear. However, Shao Yong was skilled in the study of the Earlier Heaven (Earlier Heaven) principles, and the general idea about sound is already recorded in his book The Supreme Principles Governing the World. For example, the Great Image Commentary of the Yu hexagram says, "The former kings used music to honor virtue, offering it to the supreme deity and pairing it with their ancestors." From this, we can see that the Zhou Yi truly encompasses everything in the universe. Yet, if there is no Shao Yong in ten thousand generations, the study of sound will still remain unknown.

姑置勿論其形有分隸於卦者，自古通謂之象，有象則有數，故說《易》者只專從事於象數焉，二者之中數為最難。若總而言之，則聲音難於數，數難於象，是象為若易然。古之所傳通於音律者，率能知政治得失，世或有其人。而精於數者，如揚子雲、關朗、陳希夷之流，往往得數之用，是世蓋有得其難者？

Let us set aside the discussion of sound for now. All tangible things are generally categorized under the trigrams, and since ancient times, they have all been called "xiang" or images. Where there is an image, there is also a number, so those who explain the Zhou Changes focus exclusively on images and numbers. Among these two, numbers are the most difficult. If we consider them altogether, sound is more difficult than numbers, and numbers are more difficult than images. Thus, images seem to be the easiest. It is said that those who were skilled in music could judge the success or failure of governance through the tones of music; there have occasionally been such people in the world. As for those skilled in numbers, such as Yang Xiong (styled Zi Yun), Guan Lang, and Chen Tuan (styled Xiye Xiansheng), they often could make use of the subtleties of numbers. This shows that there are indeed people in the world who have attained the more difficult aspects.

而於所謂象學，自虞周至兩漢，至今寥寥千七百年，諸儒非不精思力索，而竟未有得其彷佛者，故象學遂廢。而說《易》者率皆□□蹇淺、支離牽合，而凡聖經之文理密察，《易》之變通神妙，皆不可復知。是何？難者或易，而易者更愈難，而無復可通之機與！

Only in the so-called "xiangxue" (image learning) has there been a cold and desolate state from Yu and Zhou dynasties up to the Two Han dynasties, and until today, spanning over seventeen hundred years. The scholars have not failed to think deeply and strive hard, yet none have even approached its essence, so the study of xiangxue has been abandoned. Those who explain the Zhou Changes mostly have shallow and obstructed understandings, fragmented and forced connections; all the subtle and meticulous reasoning in the sage's texts, and the marvelous adaptability of the Zhou Changes, have all been lost. Why is this so? Is it that the difficult has become easy, and the easy has become even more difficult, with no path at all to reach understanding?

蓋諸儒明象僻而迂，王氏忘象決而野，唐李鼎祚著書自謂刋輔，“嗣之闕文，補康成之易象”，□□義生。漢氏諸儒之說，頼鼎祚以存。然以愚觀之，則亦各自以所見求象，而非文王、周公之本意矣。

It is roughly like this: the various Confucian scholars who discussed the images in the Zhou Changes were obscure and roundabout. Wang Bi neglected the images, being decisive and crude. In the Tang dynasty, Li Dingzuo compiled the Collected Explanations of the Zhou Changes, claiming that he corrected the omissions left by Wang Bi and supplemented the interpretations of Zheng Xuan (styled Kangcheng) on the images of the Zhou Changes, thereby generating new meanings. The interpretations of the Han dynasty scholars were all preserved only through this book. However, in my view, he merely sought the images according to his own understanding, and was not in line with the original intention of King Wen and the Duke of Zhou.

澤自早歳讀而病焉，磨勵積思，凡數十年。年五十始，黙有所悟，若神明陰有以啟之者。又積思十年，大抵十通五六，然構思既深，立例亦異，自其三聖精微曠代絶學，患其虧□，□不敢易言，稍欲發揚，又懼褻瀆區區弊帚之意，芹子之心，無以自明。此《思古吟》、《炙背吟》所由作也。

I have been worried about studying the Yi Jing since I was young, pondering it diligently for decades. At the age of fifty, I began to have some subtle understanding, as if guided by a divine inspiration. After another ten years of deep thinking, I had grasped about six or seven parts out of ten. However, since my thoughts were profound and my approach differed from traditional views, I hesitated to share them. I feared that if I were to reveal them, they might be flawed, and if I were to keep them hidden, I would be disrespectful to the tradition. Thus, I felt a deep sense of humility and reluctance to present my insights, like offering a humble gift or a modest contribution. This is the reason for the two groups of poems, "Reflections on the Past" and "Roasting My Back."

延佑五年，東平王子翼始為刋《六經辯釋補註》既成，重惟《易》、《春秋》二注，未能脫藁，而駸駸老境，事不可緩，若必待完備，亦貧者最難，倘黙而不言，又孰知所到，凡象學可以心悟而不可以言傳，今指其大義，含蓄頗深，比類與象學相邇，且補註所未有者為一卷，名曰《易學濫觴》。

In the fifth year of the Yanyou era, the person from Dongping, Wang Ziying, just finished printing the "Six Classics Interpretation and Annotation Supplement" for me. After the book was printed, I thought repeatedly that the annotations for the "Zhou Yi" and "Chunqiu" were still not completed, and with my old age advancing rapidly, I could not afford to delay. If I had to wait until the entire work was complete, it would be especially difficult for a poor person. If I remained silent, who would know how far I had progressed. This discipline of learning can only be understood through careful contemplation and cannot be transmitted through words. Now I will point out its main principles. All those that are profound and similar to this discipline, and which are not included in the "Supplement," I will compile them into one volume, and name it "The Wellspring of Changes Studies."

雖曰涓流，而本原在焉，未可忽也。世傳黃河自崑崙來，伏流地中，數千里然後有渾灝之勢，今將發明曠絶之學，而更隱其義，蓋事大、體重難以直遂，不得不致慎焉！延佑七年夏五資中，後學黃澤敬書。

"The term 'lan shang' may seem merely a narrow stream, but its origin lies here, and it should not be disregarded. It is said that the Yellow River originates from Kunlun, first flowing underground for thousands of miles before emerging with a mighty and grand flow. Now, I intend to revive this long-abandoned discipline, yet I have concealed its meaning to some extent: because the matter is of great importance, it cannot be fully explained at once, and thus I must be especially cautious. In the fifth month of summer in the seventh year of Yanyou, Huang Ze, a later student from Zizhong, respectfully wrote this."